Jaylon Tuggle Is a Key to Tigers' Recent Hardwoods Success

Colin Feeney, Contributing Sports Writer

Feb 26, 2019 11:01 AM Feb 27, 2019 5:48 AM

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BELLEVILLE – Edwardsville basketball senior forward Jaylon Tuggle has been on fire lately on the offensive and defensive sides of the court.

Tuggle had a great showing in the Tigers’ regular season finale Friday night, scoring a game-high 19 points at Edwardsville defeated Belleville East 44-37 at East’s gym. On Monday night, he was in the same mode and scored 18 points to lead his team in a 56-46 win over Granite City in the Collinsville Regional.

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On the defensive side, Tuggle is a constant threat to the other team and has caused many opponent turnovers in recent games.

Tuggle came out hot, and hit five threes during the Friday game, with the whole team connecting on nine three-point shots in the game. Tuggle thought the key to the game was the Tigers’ shooting and limiting their turnovers.

“Shooting and taking care of the ball on offense, when we had the ball,” Tuggle said in a post-game interview Friday night about the keys to Tiger success Friday night. “And on defense, making sure they didn’t get past us on dribble-drives.”

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The last two games have been perhaps Edwardsville’s best overall performances on the year, and it couldn’t have come at a better time, with the postseason in high gear.

“I told them we were going to get going later on in the season,” Tuggle said with a laugh and smile, “and that’s what happened.”

Tuggle has taken on a more active role in shooting, and the move has paid off handsomely for Edwardsville.

"I like shooting more than driving now, so I’m going to keep on working on my shot, and hopefully, it keeps falling," Tuggle said.

Tuggle knows the Tigers have come a long way and he looks forward to tonight's game against Collinsville in the Collinsville Regional. Tuggle smiled broadly and said he likes the Tigers’ chances as March Madness is here.

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